Hanger bracket



June 7, 1960 A. WALLER ETAL 2,939,661

HANGER BRACKET Filed July 25. 1957 FIG. I

mvsmons Arl'hur WaJ \er 0H0 Isenseefln 6am III/ M Aforneqs U d ees e eaw2,939,661 r HANGER BRACKET,

Arthur Waller, Highland Park, and out isnse'e, 'Jn, ,Glenview, 111.,assignors to Bull Do Lock Company, "Chicago, 111., an Illinoiscorporation Filed July25,195 7,S er.No. 674,157

I 7 Claims. ((31. 248-31) I e This invention relates to a device orbracket forhang ing mirrors, cabinets, pictures and the like fromvertical walls, and it relates more particularly to a piece of hardwareof the type described which is capable of selfadjustment for relaxationto support an element of the type described upon walls.

; One form of this invention is described and claimed in' our copendingapplication Serial No. 674,162, filed concurrently herewith and entitledBracket for Suspending Pendant Articles.

With the rise in thecost of housing, increasing attention has been givenby designers to maximum utilization of available floor and room space.One development has been an effort to substitute articles of furniturewhich can be located within or upon wall areas for structural elementswhich might otherwise require floor space, as

hooks or similar suspending means for engagement with tongues, wires orthe like elements secured-to the article to besuspended. v i 'Thesepreviously employed methods for hanging cabinets'or for hanging mirrors,picture frames or the like, have many disadvantages. Where-the articleis to be suspended from the wall by means of apluralityof hooks, suchhooksmust be placed in the wall in'precise loca tions for cooperationwith the connecting-elements on the article. This entails precisemeasurements wherein mistakes are invariably made. Asa result,incorrectly placed hooks or attaching elements must be removed from thewall or the article and be relocated. This often causes the wall surfaceto be defaced or marred, sometimes requiring refinishing of the surface.Such trial-anderror methods for assembly have been found to be highlyobjectionable.

the device the surface, thereby .:to enable levelling withoutthenecessity of removing nails,v hooks or. the likefastening means.

These and other objects and advantages of vthis invention willhereinafterappear, and for purposes of illustra tion, but not oflimitation, embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanyingdrawing, in which-- Figure Us a perspective elevationalview of a devi eembodying the featureslofuthis invention; .I Figure 2, is a perspective.elevational viewof a modified form of a device embodying thefeatures ofthis invention; i .-,Figure 3 a sectional-:elevational view .of. anelement employedin the device'shown-in Figure l, and

Figure 4 is a sectional .view taken crosswise through the elementsassembled from the base plate and extendingvertically through .thecarrier plate in Figure 1. Both forms'of-the device, illustratedinFigures 1 and 2, have an anchor plate-3 in the form of a flat baseplate; The anchor plate is provided with conventional means forattachment to the back side of the article to be hung. In theillustrated modification, the attachment means comprisesopenings-l atthe corners of the base plate 3 for theinsertion of screws orv rivetstherethrough to fix the base plate onto the back wall ofthe article.

The base plate.3 is provided ,with an aperture 6 andwith the portionsSwadja'cent the aperturebeing upraised or embossed to provide an annularrecess 5a having a depth at least as great as the thickness :0f the.disc element'Tadaptedrotatably tobe receivedthe'rein.

The disc element 7 is formed witha body portion '7a havinga downwardly.extending skirt with an outwardly less;than;-the diameterofthelannularrecess 5a. Flhus'v the abutting relationship between;the.skirt8a, therim 8,

and thepor-tionS of the disc plate enables the, elements:

to turn freely relative to each otherabout ,a'central axis. 'The body.portion 7a carries on its upper surface a pair;

' of parallel, laterally spacedaapartrails 9a and "9b. The

, Using a single strand of wirefixed at itsopposite ends to the articleto be suspended hasalso been found to be unsatisfactory. For one thing,careful adjustments are nails or-screws, it cannot be readily removedfor pur-V poses of cleaning, repair or alterations, or for I'BdCCOI'fi-rtion of the room. Removal of any article so installed invariably leavesa marred surface.

An object ofthis invention is to provide a suspended device which, whenafiixed to the article to be suspended, is capable of adjustment toachieve a connection with the wall at a plurality of alternative points.

rails 9a and 9 b are grooved on their surfaces facing each other toreceiveslidably the margins of a carrier'plate 10 so astto permitendwise relative movement of the plate: Theplate-101isprovidedwithacentral opening 30 andthe-portion .adjacent the opening is embossedoutwardly to provide a receiving groove or socketrll:

Diametricallyropposed slots and 34 extend outwardly from theopeningfiflfor'use in assembly, as will here-. inafter berdefine'd,

. I. A ,hinging element v12 rotatably received within the socket 1il.,The hinging element or" swivel:12 has a .Another object is to provide adevice of the type de- 7 scribed which is capable of automaticadjustment to achieve a relaxed condition as between the cooperatingpantsproperly to support the article on the wall surface.

A further object is to provide a device of the type described which isformed of a relatively few number of simple parts which can be easilyassembled for attachment to the article to be suspended andwhich iscapable U-shaped central; ,portion 13' which is dimensionedto have t a;length-jand-width less :than the opening 30,-for inser-.tiontherethrough; Extending outwardly .from- 'the base of the -U,-shaped -central portion are flanges 14 extending outwardly substantiallyperpendicularly for a distance greater than;thegopen ing but less than;the diameter of the socket 11, so asto be received therein for relativeturning ,movement while the U-shaped portion extends throughthe openingto beyondv the front face of the The carrier plate10lis' provided withan abutment 154 at one end which extends upwardly substantiallyperpendicularly from the plate and .which"is,provided withw agcentralopening 15b. ,The disc plate 7 is also of adjustmentin its mountedrelation without removal of 7 wardly ,upwardly.substantiallyperpendicularly and in aligned parallel relation with theabutment 15a. The

abutment on the disc, member 7 is aligned endwis'e with ,the rails 9aand;9b-, and itis also provided with Bitented June 7, 1960 of.attachment of the device.

a central opening 15d in registry with the opening 15b through theabutment 15a. Threaded rod 26 is fixed at one end to the abutment 15a,and extends through the opening 15djof the abutment- 15c: intothreadedengagement with a nut member 24. By adjustment of the nut memberon the rod, the position of the carrier plate10 can be shifted endwisebetween the guide rails 9a and 9b to raise or lower the hanger element22. In practice, it is desirable to upset the end of the rod 26 afterthe nut 24 has been threaded thereon to prevent inadvertentdisengagement of the nut which would permit the suspendedarticle-supporting element to become separated from its base. In thedescribed modificatiomthe abutment 15a will be dimensioned tohave awidthless than the distance between the rails 9a and 9b and correspondinglyless than the width-otthecarrierplate 10 so as to enable the abutment tobe displaced endwise between the' rails during adjustment of the plate,as described.

The hanger element. 22, shown in the illustrated modifications as atongue having-a rectangular relieved portion 22a, is received within theU-shaped 'through-extending portion 13 of the swivel12 to enable theattaching element to be rockedrelative thereto through an angle greaterthan 180. For purposes of assembly, it is desirable to make use of anattaching element having a widthslightly'less than the end-to-enddimension of the slotted portions 32 and 34, and althickness' slightlyless than the thickness of said slots so as to enable'inser-tion throughthe slots from the back side of the carrier plate as the attachingelement and the swivel are advanced into positionof-use.

In assembly, the disc member 7'c'an be tipped to ad'- vance the abutment150 through theopening 6 from the back side of the base plate 3. Thedisc member 7 can then be brought into parallel relation'with the baseplate to bring the ring 8 into the recess a for engagementin a manner topermit relative turning movement.

One end of the attaching element 22 is displaced into the U-shapedmember 13 of the swivel 12' and then it is inserted through the slottedportion of the socket 11 for endwise displacement until the flanges 14of the swivel. are brought into engagement with the back side of therecessed portion of the socket 11. The carrier plate is then threadedendwise between the rails 91: and 9b which extend upwardly beyond theface of the disc element-7 with the abutment a extending in thedirection of the abutment 15c and parallel thereto. The threaded rod 26is inserted through the opening 15d of the abutment and a nut member 24is then threaded onto the through-extending portion to effect theassembled relation.

When the device, as shown in Figure 1, is installed, adjustments arecapable of achievement ina plurality of ways: by rotating the discmember 7 Within the anchor plate 3; by moving the'carrier plate 10 to apredetermined position between the guide rails 9a and 9b; byswivelling'the element 12 relative the carrier plate '10,

and by rocking movement of the attaching member 22.

Thus, it is possible automatically to achieve both a rocking movementand a swivelling movement for proper angular position of the attachingmember 22, audit is also possible by turning movement'of the nut 24 inone direction or the other to achieve vertical adjustment of theattaching element to'raise or lower the 'elfective point Within thisrange of adjustability, the device can eflfect connection withthesurface from which suspension is desired at a plurality of points. Thisrange can be as great as a semicircle describedby the outer portion ofthe attaching member as it is rotated within the socket 11 and as thedisc plate 7 is rotated relative to the base plate 3. e

. The variant form of the invention is shown in Figure 2. In thismodification, an anchor plate 3 is provided with two pairs of: parallelguide rails identified as 1-7 a and 17b andas 18:: and 17b mounted toextend in laterally spaced-apart relation in opposite directions. Therails may be in the form of channel members secured to the top side ofthe base plate, or they may be struck from the base plate to provide anupwardly extending portion and an inwardly extending portion forminggrooves dimensioned to receive the carrier plate 19 slidablytherebetween. r

The carrier plate 19 is similar to the carrier plate 10 previouslydescribed in the other modification. It is provided with a circularopening 30 'with the portions adjacent thereto'raised to provide a rimforming an annular groove on the under side adapted to receive the armsof the swivel 21. The rim is formed with the diametrically opposed slots32 and 34 to enable the insertion of the hanger element 22 therethroughin efiecting the assembled relation to bringthe swivel member 21 intoengagement with the under side of the carrier plate 19 for. thedescribed relative turning movement. As described in the modification inFigure 1, the swivel 21 is rotatably seated in the socket 11' of thecarrier plate 19. The carrier plate 19' is' provided with an abutment27b extending upwardly froman end thereof inwardly of the edges of thecarrier plate for passage between the guide rails 17a, 17b or 18a, 18b,while the outer edge portions of the carrier plate are receivedwithinthe respective grooves. The abutment plate 27a, instead of forming apart of a disc plate, as in Figure 1, is turned up: as a part of thebase plate to extend between the rails in parallel relation with-theabutment plate 27b on the carrier. The threaded rod 26 extends from. theabutment plate 27b through an aligned opening in the abutment 27aforreceiving the nut member 24 on the throughexte'nding portion. It will beapparent that the abutment plate 27a is duplicated in the adjacent sideof the base plate 3 for alignment between the rails 18a and 18b in theevent that the carrier plate 19 is to be disposed at right angles to itsposition shown in Figure 2 for use in eifecting a mounted relationwith'the adjacent side of the article to be supported.

The described arrangement enables the carrier plate 19 to be securelyfixed at a predetermined position relative the base plate 3foradjustment of the hanger element 22' vertically relative to thearticle to be supported.

In the modification described, adjustments can be achieved inonedirection by sliding the carrier plate to a desired position between theguide rails 17a and 17b, or adjustment can be achieved in the crosswisedirection by sliding the carrier plate 19 to a desired position betweenthe guide rails'18a and 18b. The plate 19 can be secured in its adjustedposition by tightening the nut 24- against the outer face of theabutment 27a having the threaded rod 26 extending therethrough.

\ By way of a still further modification, the elements shown in Figure 2may be mounted upon an additional anchoring plate adjacent the underside of the plate 3, with rails extending upwardly from the upper faceof the plate for engagement with the lateral edges ofrthe base platesubstantially as in the same manner as that which is described betweenthe rails 17a, 17b and 18a, 18b with respect to the carrier plate 19. Insuch a modification, horizontal adjustment would be achieved by slidingthe plate 3 on the additional anchoring plate while concurrentlypermitting sliding movement of the carrier plate 19 relative the anchorplate 3.

For some installations, a single device of the types 7 described wouldbe suificient to accomplish the desired the hooks fixed to the walls forconnection therewith. The use of a plurality of such devices achieves adistribution of load by virtue of the ability of the interconnectedelements to achieve a relaxed relation therebetween, and by virtue ofthe ability for adjustment in various directions to level the article,as more fully shown in the aforementioned copending application.

It will be understood that numerous changes may b made in the details ofconstruction, arrangement and operation without departing from thespirit of the invention, especially as defined in the following claims.

We claim:

1. A device for suspending pendant articles c0mprising a base plateadapted to be afiixed to the article desired to be suspended, a carrierplate abutting said base plate, means mounting the carrier plate forlinear movement relative to the base plate, said carrier plate carryinga hanger member adapted to connect and support the pendant article fromthe surface from which suspension is desired, said hanger member beingconnected in pivotal and rotational relationship to, said carrier plate,said device being adapted by means of the movable relationship betweensaid carrier plate and said base plate and the pivotal and rotationalrelationship between said carrier plate and said hanger member toachieve a suspending connection between said attaching member and thesurface from which suspension is desired at a plurality of selectedpoints lengthwise and angular to the base plate.

2. A device for hanging articles to a wall comprising a plate to befastened to the article to be hung, said plate having a plurality ofsurfaces, a circular depressed portion in the one surface of said plateand a corresponding circular upraised portion on the reverse surface,said corresponding depressed andupraised portions being provided with acircular aperture, a circular disc element comprising a rim-likemarginal portion and an elevated circular center portion, said dischavinga diameter substantially equal to thesaid circular apertureengaging the margins of said depressed portion of said plate by its saidrim-like marginal portion and extending in its elevated center portioninto said aperture, said elevated portion carrying also a pair ofstraight rails disposed parallel to each other, a tongue member, acarrier member seated slidably in a single plane within said rails andprovided also with an upraised circular center portion defining acircular aperture, said tongue being pivotally and hingedly engaged bysaid carrier plate. 1

3. A device for suspending articles from a support surface comprising abase plate adapted to be aifixed to the article for which suspension isdesired, said base plate being substantially planar and provided with apair of straight parallel rails spaced inwardly from itsedges, saidrails having grooves along their facing sides, a carrier plate having awidth substantially equal to the distance between said grooves andslidably seated within said grooves for endwise movement, said carrierplate being provided with a socket intermediate its edges, a hingingmember comprising a U-shaped channel portion intermediate the edges ofsaid plates, one of said plates being adapted to be afiixed to thearticle for which suspension is desired, a plurality of disc membershaving upraised centerportions and rim portions, the diameters of eachof the disc members being unequal as between each other andsubstantially equal to the diameter of one of said embossed portions,each of said discs in rotatable relationship abutting in its rim portionthe embossed portion of corresponding diameter, the larger of said discsprotruding by its upraised portion through the circular opening of itscorresponding plate and carrying a pair of straightparallel rails havinggrooves on the surfaces thereof facing each other within which isslidably seated another plate for endwise movement and the smaller ofsaid discs comprising a U-shaped channel portion extending through thecircular opening of its corresponding plate, and a tongue memberrockably carried by said U-shaped channel portion.

5. A device for suspending articles from a support surface comprising abase plate adapted to be afiixed to the article for which suspension isdesired, said base plate being substantially planar and having a pair ofstraight parallel rails spaced inwardly from the edges, of the baseplate and in spaced relationship with each other, said rails havinggrooves along their facing sides, a carrier plate dimensioned to have awidth corresponding to the spaced relation between the rails slidably toreceive the carrier plate therebetween, said carrier plate having acircular opening in an intermediate portion and an annular raised rimabout said opening to provide a socket and having diametrically opposedslots in said rim portion contiguous with the opening therebetween, ahinging member comprising a *U-shaped channel portion with armsextending outwardly in the direction away from each other from the baseof said channel portion in parallel relation to the base plate, thedistance between the outer edges of said arms being substantially equalto 1 the diameter. of the socket rotatably to receive said hingingmember therein with the U-shaped portion extending through the opening,a hanger element dimensioned to have a width greater than the width ofthe opening in i the carrier plate but less than the spaced relationbetween and flange portions flaring outwardly from the legs of saidchannel portion in a plane parallel to said base 1 U-shaped channelmember and extending thereinto to achieve a pivotal connection. 4. Adevice for suspending pendant articles from a supporting surfacecomprising a plurality of plates hav-- ing circular embossed portionsdefining circular openings the slots in the rim portion to enable thehanger element to be received in pivotal relation within the channelsection of the hinging member and to be displaced endwise through saidslotted portion of the carrier plate when the channel section of thehinging member with the hanger element therein is inserted through theopening of the carrier plateto efieot the assembled relation.

6. A hanging device as claimed in claim 5- which includes a wallextending crosswise of the carrier plate and perpendicular from the facethereof beyond the opening, a similar wall extending upwardly from theface of the base plate in alignment with the space between the railswith each of said walls having an opening in registry one with theother, an elongate threaded member extending endwise through saidaligned openings and abutment openings on the portions extendingoutwardly of said openings to effect an interconnected relationshipbetween the walls, at least one of said abutment means comprising a nutmember threadably received on said elongate threaded member foradjustment of the spaced relationship between the walls and foretfecting endwise adjustment of said hanging element relative to thebase plate.

7. A plurality of devices as described in claim 5, said devices beingdisposed upon a single surface of the article to be suspended inspaced-apart relation whereby to achieve in cooperation a leveling ofthe device to be suspended.

Hall Dec. 20, 1921 Pfankuch Dec. 21, 1954

